MLB.com's Carrie Muskat has been covering Major League Baseball since 1981 and is the author of "Banks to Sandberg to Grace: Five Decades of Love and Frustration with the Cubs." You can follow her on Twitter @CarrieMuskat. Here, she blogs about the Cubs.

Center field prospects

The Cubs want to move Kosuke Fukudome back to right field. Alfonso Soriano will be in left. Who’s in center? Here’s a list of free agent candidates. Who’s your pick? And I’m hoping nobody says Jerry Hairston Jr. Or, do you go for Sam Fuld or Tyler Colvin? (I know joeydafish and wrigleyguy1980 have some ideas.) The number after the name is their age:

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A CF that can lead off is what we need. My ideals, which are perhaps long shots, would be via trade Curtis Granderson or an even further long shot would be bringing Juan Pierre back. (Bradley for Pierre anyone???)

If we’re just going off the list there’s only one guy I’d be slightly interested in and that’s Coco Crisp. He bats lead off, has some speed and he’s a switch hitter. He’ll play a decent CF, (hopefully) hit .280 and steal 20+ bases.

NO ONE ON THAT LIST JUMPS OFF THE PAGE AT YOU, ESPECIALLY FROM AN OFFENSIVE STAND POINT. SO LETS GET SOME SPEED, ALONG WITH DEFENSE. LET THE KIDS PLAY, LET THEM RELAX AND LEARN AT THIS LEVEL. I SAY FULD OR COLVIN.

I’m hoping for Reed to be back too. He’s got the speed; He’s got the glove; He has a decent bat; and i personally think he would make a great lead-off guy. He did that last year a bit i believe and did alright.

Crazy idea. There is a free agent, not listed above, who played 3b this past year but has played in the outfield, and has the speed to handle centerfield, and I would expect the arm since he was a 3b. Of course, I refer to Chone Figgins. He would give us a lead off hitter as well.

FOR GET THE FREE AGENT MARKET LET GO TO THE FARM WE DRAFT THEM SO LET GIVE THEM A TRY WE CUB FAN WANT MORE SPEED IN THE LINE UP NO WE DESERT A YOUNGER TEAM THAT HAS SPEED AND A UPSIDE HERE ARE SO OTHER NAME FROM THE FARM ALVARO RAMIREZ;ALEXANDER MEJIA;ANTHONY CAMPANA & ARISMENDY ALCANTARA ALL YOUNG OUTFIELDER WITH SPEED AND AVERAGE ALSO SOME INFIELDER LOGAN WATKINS;JOSH HARRISON;HAK JU LEE ALSO CHONE FIGGINS LET ME KNOWN WHAT YOU THINK THE FREE AGENT MARKET HAS FELT THE CUBS IN THE LAST FEW YEARS joeydafish & wrigleyguy1980

Roman, it’s not so much the free agent market that left the Cubs as “also rans” the last few years but more so the free agents CHOSEN BY HENDRY…AND OVERPAID BY HENDRY…AND GIVEN BAD CONTRACTS (LENGTH & NO TRADE CLAUSE) BY HENDRY. Remember this, Ibanez (in the World Series) and Abreu (in the playoffs) were both available last year for less money and less time than Bradley (not to mention BOTH lefthanded bats), BUT…our impatient clueless leader couldn’t let the market play out and just ASSumed the Cubs could not compete without the much heralded left handed bat that left them exposed in the LA playoffs (…only in Hendry’s mind…) so he signed Bradley, a switch hitter who bats better right handed than left…Hendry has some splainin’ to do but it seems he’s getting a wide birth to run (ruin?) the Cubs.

I would like to see the Cubs sign Reed Johnson, too. He is a quality guy and can play all positions well. The free agent centerfield market is pretty weak. I would like to see the Cubs sign Figgins to play 2b if they can afford him. He will be pricey, but would bring a top tier leadoff hitter to provide on-base-percentage, stolen bases, and switch hitting capability. He would hit in front of Theriot. This also allows for Baker to be a supersub like DeRosa did for the Cubs a year ago.

In CF, I would have Fuld and Johnson share time. Fuld also brings a great glove and provides a left handed bat. Fukudome would be the right fielder, but could platoon with Jake Fox. I know his defense is not that great, but he would provide some pop from the right side, especially against left handed pitching and off the bench in the late innings.

For those of you who want a centerfielder who can bat leadoff with speed, I think Sam Fuld could be that guy. In the bigs he only had 2 stolen bases and was caught once this year in AAA Iowa he had 23 stolen bases and was caught stealing 5 times. in the big this year he had a .299 batting Avg. in limited playing time, with a .409 obp and a suprising .821 ops(his speed gets him a fair amount of doubles) in AAA he had a batting avg. of .284 and Obp of .358. He walks more than he strikes out in AAA 38bb and 24so in the bigs 20bb and 13so. I don’t think Fuld will be an all-star (well defensively he already is an all-star in my book) but I think he brings energy (hustle on every play) amazing defense and speed and he is pateint at the plate. I think he could be a Juan pierre type player but with better defense. He covers a lot of ground in the outfield. Oh yeah and resign Reed johnson to back up fuld and fukodome. Baker can also play outfield is what I hear so he can help back up soriano and fukodome also. I think they shoild have a competition for second base between Baker, Blanco and Starlin Castro. I like Tyler Colvin too but put him in AAA this year and see how he does. He might be a mid-season or late season call up.

If Fuld struggles which i hope he doesn’t then you can see what Colvin can do. Blanco is hitting extremely well for magallanes. If he can do that for the big league club,he will be a gold glover he already has Amazing defense. Starlin Castro will probably need sometime in AAA. If he pans out Theriot might get traded at the deadline. I like theriot and all but Castro has more speed and it seems that people feel when he grows into his body he will hit for power. I know the pitching staff would like to see Blanco and Fuld’s defense behind them when they take the mound.

Don’t let organization’s talent slip away. Use fuld/johnson as leadoff, give colvin a year at AAA. If Kosuke is more tradeable than Bradley, trade him. Bradley only has 2 years left. He may be chastened now. (remember alou). Bradley in 2 hole looked pretty good. Wild idea: How about Theriot in CF against lefties. Castro is coming strong and Blanco deserves a chance. Package Fox to AL perhaps get Roberts from BAL.

pamklm@hotmail.com, you are one wild and crazy Cub fan!
Thinking outside the box isn’t the strong suit of either Hendry or Lou…but at least YOU’RE thinking. Who else is in this “package” you have Fox going to Baltimore for Roberts?
We don’t have enough bullets in the chamber to get Roberts. And I don’t see Hendry getting creative by dealing either Ramirez or Lee any time soon to get a boat load of prospects because after all…WE GOTTA WIN NOW, blah, blah, blah…

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